News
The Food Packaging Forum reports on recent developments across the food packaging and health field.
February 28, 2022
Civil society organization Foodwatch Germany is petitioning the German government to follow the lead of France and Spain in banning plastic packaging for fresh fruits and vegetables; claims ban would save more than 60,000 tons of plastic waste; French ban went into effect January 2022, Spain plans ban for 2023, Foodwatch petitions Germany for ban by 2026
Topics: plastic, plastic ban
Reading time: 0 minutes
February 28, 2022
South Korean Ministry of Environment announces disposable cups from chain cafes and fast-food restaurants will have 300 KRW deposit beginning June 10, 2022; applies to chains with more than 100 branches, 38,000 stores total; plan includes production standards for plastic and paper cups to ensure recyclability; part of South Korea’s 2050 carbon neutrality goal
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 28, 2022
European Commission (EC) initiative aims to reduce the release of microplastics into the environment; specifically focuses on expanding research on risks from microplastics contamination in food and water and reducing risks to humans from environmental contamination; consultation open until May 17, 2022
Topics: European Commission, microplastics
Reading time: 0 minutes
February 25, 2022
Dutch researchers introduce workflow to select chemicals for redesign and develop safer and more sustainable alternatives in a systematic, computer-aided way; illustrate and apply approach to identify and synthesize alternative to flame retardant with reduced persistency; emphasize need to improve knowledge and prediction on chemicals’ biodegradability
Topics: circular economy, green chemistry
Reading time: 3 minutes
February 24, 2022
European Court of Justice confirms the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is correct to classify a group of GenX chemicals as substances of very high concern (SVHC); chemical company Chemours has two months to consider appealing the verdict
Reading time: 1 minute
February 24, 2022
Researchers investigate packaging use and recycling as well as improvement options; find globalization and time-deprived society to majorly drive food packaging use and recommend economic degrowth to reduce use; report 11% of Spain’s plastic waste efficiently recycled, well below official reports from waste management companies; emphasize need to change material and packaging design to reach circularity targets
Reading time: 4 minutes
February 23, 2022
Minderoo Foundation researchers publish protocol for systematic review of human in vivo studies related to exposure from chemicals in plastics
Topics: human health, plastics
Reading time: 1 minute
February 22, 2022
Poll by Ipsos finds 75% of people want single-use plastics banned as soon as possible; 85% want producers and retailers held responsible for plastic packaging at end-of-life; survey included 20,000 people from 28 countries
Topics: plastics
Reading time: 0 minutes
February 22, 2022
International Pollution Elimination Network (IPEN) finds 60% of sampled “BPA-free” plastic bottles and children’s cups from 8 countries contain bisphenol A (BPA); test 98 containers (23 “BPA-free”) from local markets in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania; Sri Lanka’s Environment Ministry says it will investigate
Reading time: 2 minutes
February 21, 2022
Scientific study reports that gut passages change polyethylene terephthalate (PET) microplastics morphology and alter human microbial colonic community composition; another study finds polyethylene (PE) microplastics to accumulate in the brain and induce autism spectrum disorder-like symptoms using a mouse model
Reading time: 4 minutes
